Selling finished needlework never works out for me. I know, people tell me over and over not to devalue my own work by pricing it too low....but if I price it closer to "what it's worth," no one buys it, and I certainly don't need all these finished pieces! So earlier this month I decided to dip a toe back into eBay, and see what would happen.
This was a Stoney Creek design that drove me mad while stitching, and while it is a very sweet finished piece, I have no desire to keep it. So I listed it, with a starting bid at $10 and a Buy It Now at $20....and I got ONE bid (at $10). So away it goes, leaving me with about $6 in my pocket after eBay and PayPal fees and shipping costs. <:( And then I made myself feel worse by packaging it all pretty, with a "card" made from some old database marketing materials I found in my office at work.
Ah well. I still love knowing my work is out in the world, even at a discount to its new owner. Hopefully it will be loved.
And I'll probably try selling stuff again in the future....I certainly have enough stuff in bins and boxes! My mother once mentioned the annual school fundraiser/craft fair at my old high school - I used to turn up my nose at that idea, but now it is seeming more appealing. A little table, with finished pillows, ornaments and other smalls? It could work. And maybe a few larger pieces, unframed....I could reach out to the local framing shop and see if they'd be willing to offer a coupon or something ("buy this unframed needlework, here's a 10%-off coupon to get it framed at XYZ Frame Shop"). I doubt I'd make a huge profit, but it might still be fun. Something to think about, anyway.
6 comments:
What a lovely piece you stitched! Another suggestion for selling your items is right here on your blog. There are several bloggers who offer their items for sale and create a tab for those items. You would be able to eliminate the fees of eBay that way.
This is lovely piece, it really is a problem that we spend so much time on our stitching and costs but rarely get renumerated properly. It is not that we devalue our work, it is that many people don't realise the amount of work that goes into them. x
I have heard many say that it is difficult to sell handcrafted items at their 'true' price.
I understand your frustration! Only a fellow stitcher could understand all the work that goes into stitching a seemingly small piece! My mom is always telling me I should sell some of my pieces and I tell her I would never get their true value :)
I know how frustrating it can be to value the things that we have poured ourselves into much below the actual value. People go to eBay and similar sites looking for a "bargain." It's rare that someone actually understands the real value of such items. Hope you are able to find a solution that leaves you feeling a little better about selling. Happy stitching! Andrea
I have a question about a pattern you have. Would you email me please? Laura.leahj@ Gmail dot com
Thanks!
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